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Climax Manufacturing Co
There are currently four surviving Climax type steam locomotives in New Zealand. All are of a 0-4-4-0 wheel configuration. * #1650 - stored at the Bush Tramway Club. * #522 - stored at the Tokomaru Steam Museum. * #1203 - previously in service, now on display at Shantytown. * #1317 - currently being overhauled by the Lions Club in Te Awamutu. Appearance #1650 is of no particular class. It is a very general Climax design in that it has the usual inclined cylinders driving two four-wheeled bogies. There is a standard bunker at the rear. #522, #1203 and #1317 are all of a Climax "B" class. They are similar to #1650 although they have xxx type funnels. History Built in 1924, #1650 worked for Ellis & Burnand in Ongarue. Then in 1960 it went to J. Melse in Mangapehi. In 1969 it moved into storage at MOTAT and in 1977 in finally arrived at the Bush Tramway Club. In 2011 overhaul started but apparently stopped when it was acquired by the Climax 1650 Steam Trust Board. Today, its overhaul has continued. #522 was built in 1904 and spent fifty years working for Ellis & Burnand alongside # 1203, in Mangapehi. It was taken out of service in 1954 and it is believed to have stayed in Mangapehi until an unknown year in the 60's when it moved to the Tokomaru Steam Museum. It currently waits eventual restoration, in a shed alongside the other locomotives of the Tokomaru Steam Museum. Built in 1913, #1203 entered service for the Potate Timber. Co in Matapuna. It worked there for only two years and in 1915 it moved to Pukuweka Sawmills in Mananui. It worked there until 1938. In 1939 it stayed in Mananui but changed ownership to Ellis & Burnand. Then, #1203 was moved to Mangapehi to work with #522. After that, still in the same ownership, it moved to Ongarue in 1953 and worked with #1650. In 1963 she was put into idle storage until 1968 when it moved back to Mangapehi for two years and then at Greymouth for a further year. Then in 1971 #1203 moved to her final location, Shantytown and was stored for three years before a six year overhaul began. She was steaming on the Infants Creek Tramway by 1980 but went back into storage in 2002 and hasn't operated due to an extensive range of unavailable parts. It is hoped she can be given another overhaul to full working order in the near future. #1317 was built in 1914 and worked for Egmont Box Co. at their Ohutu locality for a year and then spent 15 years at their Kakahi locality before moving to their Taurewa locality and working there for 13 years. Between 1942 and 1956, #1317 worked for Smythe Brothers & Boryer at Arohena and, in 1945, Ngaroma. In an unknown year, she was put on static display in a rose garden in Te Awamutu and then in 2004, was obtained by the Lions Club. #1317 is currently under overhaul and is nearing completion. Images and historic information from New Zealand Rolling Stock Register.